The ruling CPI(M) in Tripura today opposed the 12-hour strike call by newly formed anti-left tribal forum All Tripura Indigenous Regional Parties Forum (ATIRPF) on February 8 in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) to oppose the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. Addressing a press conference, CPI(M) state Secretary Bijan Dhar and party’s Central Committee member Gautan Das termed the move as “separatist action”.

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“Our party has opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and supports the Indira-Mujib pact with March 24, 1971, as a cutoff date to detect illegal infiltration into India from neighbouring Bangladesh,” the CPI(M) leaders told reporters.

“There is no justification to call the strike. It was called as a pretext for formation of alliance to weaken development works in the TTAADC ruled by Left Front,” Dhar said.

Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), The Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) and the National Conference of Tripura (NCT) yesterday announced the formation of All Tripura Indigenous Regional Parties Forum (ATIRPF) to oppose the Bill.

The CPI(M) leaders alleged the forum was unhappy with the restoration of peace after three decades of insurgency in the state was contained.

The TTAADC came into being in 1987 under Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to protect and safeguard the political, economic and cultural interests of the tribals, who constitute one-third of the population and the TTAADC constituted two-third of the state territory.

The convener of ATIRF, N C Debbarma had yesterday said if the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, was passed in the Parliament, the tribals in Tripura would be harmed because people from neighbouring Bangladesh would settle down in the state.